A Thousand Words
by CyrusBreeze
Summary: "A picture is worth a thousand words, a good picture is worth an infinity." Eighteen year old Tris Prior struggles with finding herself after a rough four years. When she moves to Chicago to start fresh with her son, she doesn't expect to meet Four mysterious and quiet star quarterback, Four.


Title: A Thousand Words

Summary: "A picture is worth a thousand words. However, the right picture is worth an infinity." After a rough few years, eighteen year old Tris Prior is ready for a new start off herself and her son Greyson. She doesn't expect to be paired with the mysterious and quiet star quarterback, Four.

Notes: I did a lot of research for this. Please let me know if anything is inaccurate.

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of rape

* * *

**October 24th, 2009**

I sat quietly in my room, editing picture on my computer. It was a Thursday night, late October. I was attempting to finish a picture I had taken for yearbook.

My brother Caleb and one of his friends were downstairs playing video games. Caleb went to go get another video game from the video. Peter came upstairs. He opened the door.

"Hey," he says, almost as if we were friends. I had only met him once.

"Go away," I mumbe. I turn back to my laptop.

Peter sits down on my bed.

"You're pretty, aren't you." He smiles.

"Go away," I tell him, fustrated.

"Fierce," he laughs. "I like them like that." He winked.

He leans and kisses me.

"Get out! Get out!" I scream. I reach for my cell phone.

He laughs and grabs it, tossing it across the room. "Shut the hell up!" He yells.

I scream. I fight. I claw. Nothing works. When he leaves my bed is covered in blood. My legs are bruised as well as my right shoulder.

**August 1st, 2013**

I open my eyes. Nightmares have been plaguing me every day since he got out of prison.

I sit up in bed and shift my attention to my son.

He looks so beautiful when he sleeps. He has my features, my hair, my nose, and my ears. His eyes are a soft green. The only thing he gets from him is his hair, which is dark, but it's straight, like mine. I stroke his hair and he opens his eyes.

"Wake up, sleepyhead,"

"Hi mommy," he says as he slowly sits up.

"Hi Greyson." I smile.

"You sleep well?" I ask. He nods. "Your grandpa made cinnamon rolls."

"Really?" He asks. I nod, and he slides out of bed, and is down the hallway before I can say another word.

I sit on my bed and stare at the empty room around me. It's for the best, I remind myself.

He's out of prison, and I want to, need to, be gone, out of Richmond.

The movers came yesterday, and Greyson and I move today. I stand up and walk into the kitchen. Greyson is eating cinnamon rolls and bacon.

"You ready?" My dad asks as I help myself to a plate of food.

I shake my head.

"You don't have to go." He says. He feels guilty about all of this. He was the lawyer on my case.

"I need to. We both know that."

My dad sighs. "Well, I'll be visiting as often as I can."

"I know," I mumble.

"Ooh, cinnamon rolls," my older brother enters the kitchen and swipes a cinnamon roll off my plate.

I mock glare at him and he put it back.

"See, Greyson," he says. "Your mom is way to overprotective of her food."

Greyson giggles. "I am not," I state as I finish my cinnamon roll and put my plate into the sink. Greyson only laughs harder. "Caleb, could you keep an eye on Grey While I take a shower."

Caleb nods. "We can talk further about your overprotectiveness of food."

I roll my eyes.

I walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower water. I pull off my shirts and my pajama pants. Small precise cuts line the inside of my thighs. Some are self-inflicted and some are from him. I turn around and look at my shoulder.

The scar is still there, although it is covered mostly by my tattoo. It's Greyson's full name written in cursive. It's a reminder that done thing beautiful came from something horrible.

Greyson Matthew Prior. He's my entire world. I trace the letters slowly.

I shut my eyes and step into the shower.

* * *

When I get out of the shower I dress quickly and then I walk into Greyson's room. He's playing on the floor with the toys that I hadn't packed up. Caleb is watching him. He nods at me as he exits the room.

"Greyson," I say smiling. He turns around. "Put your cars in your backpack. We're gonna be leaving soon."

He nods and begins to put away his toys.

The doorbell rang and I go downstairs, Greyson following me.

I open the door. "Beatrice Prior?" A man in a suit says.

I nod.

"You've been served." He hands me a stack of papers and then leaves.

"What was that about?" My dad asks.

I hand him the papers.

My dad eyes scan them. "This is bullshit." He mumbles. "They're child custody papers."

I turn to Greyson. "Go see if your uncle Caleb will let you watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." I do not want him hearing this conversation.

Greyson grins and runs to my older brother Caleb's room.

"This is bull." My dad says. "Because Virginia protects the parental rights of rapists he can petition for custody." My dad huffs. "I can find you a family law lawyer and you can communicate by email with them when you move to Chicago."

"Can he win?" I question my dad.

"He can. As long as he's got a steady job and also because they only convicted him of statutory rape, he can win. It's absolute bull." He hugs me. "I'm sorry." He whispers.

"You and Grey gotta be at the airport in a few hours." He says when he releases me. "We're gonna be okay," he says, his voice cracking.

Somehow, I don't believe it.

* * *

**So this is the introduction to the major conflict. The conflict will circle around both Tris' move to Chicago as well as the custody battle with Peter. I've done extensive research on custody laws in the state of Virginia as well as custody laws in general. I hope this is accurate.**


End file.
